Democrats are optimistic that a Donald Trump or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz nomination will expand the map in their favor. But because of how long the GOP nominating contest could take, and how early some congressional filing deadlines are, Democrats may need to take a leap of faith on candidates before they know whether the GOP nominee will put certain states in play.

"I’m telling potential candidates, 'There’s a chance that our party is going to win the lottery. ... It might be worth rolling the dice because it turns out the Democratic nominee in some of these states that are not competitive right now may be worth a lot,'" one Democratic consultant said.

Democrat Roxanne "Rocky" Lara announced Tuesday that she will run for the nomination to challenge New Mexico's lone Republican delegation member, Rep. Steve Pearce.

“New Mexicans deserve someone in Congress who is committed to our needs and values, but we haven’t been getting that from Washington lately," Lara said in a release. "I’ll change that by following a straightforward principle: I will work with anyone who shares a willingness to work for a better New Mexico."

Pearce might get a challenge this cycle from a former state representative. (Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call File Photo)

Democrats already hold four of New Mexico’s five federal offices, but the party hopes to make a clean sweep by 2014.

Former state Rep. Joe Campos is considering a challenge to Rep. Steve Pearce, the only Republican in the state's congressional delegation, who is two terms into his second stint in Congress after losing a Senate bid in 2008.